Type-writing machine.



U. T. PRANTZ.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. T FRANTZ.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1908.

1,1Q4,21 9, v Patented Jan. 5,1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

C. T. FRANTZ.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1908. 1,124,219. Patented Jan. 5, 1915,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

, jZUVZ r pnrrnn s'ra rns PATENT onsioa CHARLES T. FRANTZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 FRED P. GORIN, OF CHICAGO,

I ILLINOIS.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Application filed May 21, 1908. Serial No. 434,039.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES T. FRANTZ,

a citizen of the United States, residing at.

long distance before it is. arrested by theadjustable stop or abutment and such long movement causes severe strains or lmpact of the parts of the machine. In practice these strains have been found to be very objectionable. To overcome these strains it has heretofore been proposed to employ a slightly elastic abutment, and it has also been proposed to employ a retarding device of the nature of a friction brake or governor for restricting the speed of the carriage. An objection incident to the use of a slightly elastic abutment or stop is that 1t does not successfully cushion the carriage and prevent shock, and furthermore such a stop or abutment could possess only slight elasticity without resulting in improper spacing of the carriage. Retarding devices or governors result in decreasing the speed of the carriage so that the operator must necessarily wait until the carriage has arrived at the end of its stroke before proceeding with further operation of the machine; hence such devices defeat the purpose of the selective spacing mechanism. To overcome the objections to the use .of slightly elastic abutments and to the retarding devices or governors, it has also been proposed to employ cushioning means interposed between the carriage and an element movably connected with the carriage, the said element being adapted to take the shock due to the arresting of the mechanism by the adjustable stop or abutment. It has also beenproposed to use means for arresting or controlling the element movably con nected with the carriage and between which element and the carriage the cushioning means is interpsed said means being adapted to hold the element against movement in either direction so that the element will be arrested at the proper point and retained at such point despite any tendency toward rebounding between the element controlling the carriage and the stop or abutment. It

has been found, however, that there are objections incident to the use of such a construction because the cushioning means interposed between the carriage and the element for controlling the same has a tendency on long runs to produce a very objectionable vibration of the carriage so that some time is lost before the carriage assumes a position of rest relative to the element controlling the same and directly operated upon by the selective spacing mechanism. As a further objectionable result of such vibration between the controlling element and the carriage, it is found thatthe step-by-step spacing mechanism which is automatically disengaged during the operation of the selective stop mechanism may become engaged on the release of the selective stop mechanism and before the carriage comes to a position of rest in relation to the element controlling the same. This will cause the engagement of the carriagevby the step-by-step mechanism with the result that the carriage is arrested in an improper position, although the element for controlling the same may be properly positioned.

The primary object of the present inven tion is to provide improved means for absorbing the recoil imparted to the carriage by reason of the cushioning means, thus aiding in bringing the carriage immediately to a position of rest and to a normal position with relation to the selective spacing mechanism.

A furtherlobject of the invention is to provide improved means for automatically looking out or disconnecting the step-bystep mechanism until the carriage reaches a normal position in relation to the selective spacing mechanism, thus making it impossible for the step-by-step mechanism to stop the carriage in an improper position.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of certain other new and useful objects which will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty hereinafter described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings, showing an exemplification of the invention, and in which drawings- Figure 1 is a transverse section of a typewriting machine to which the invention is shown applied. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the upper portion of the machine, with parts of the machine removed. Fig. 3 is a plan view, parts of the machine being omitted.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on the 3 line 4-4; of Fig. 7. Fig. 5 is a detail plan of the locking mechanism for the carriage bar and associated parts. F ig. 6 is an enlarged section of the selective spacing mechanism. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6,

with the parts shown in position assumed when one of the auxiliary keys operating The reference character 10 designates a supporting frame, 11 the table thereof, 12 the type-bar keys, 13 a spacing key, 1a a universal-bar connected to the step-by-step mechanism and operated by bothtlie typekeys and the spacing bar or key. A carriage frame 15 is mounted to slide longitudinally on rods or tracks 16 and 17 secured to the table 11, and a platen 18 is suitably mounted to rotate on said carriage; all of which parts may be of any suitable and well known construction as well understood in the art. It will be understood that-the usual spring or motor will be connected to advance the carriage under control of the spacing mechanism in the usual manner.

The step-by-step mechanism comprises the usual dog 19 pivotally sustained as at 20, and provided with relatively fixed and movable pawls 21 and 22, the dog being suitably connected by links 23 to the universal-bar 14, so that during the depression of any of the type-bar keys or the spacing lever the dog will be operated to cause the carriage to be advanced one step. An escapement rack 24: is mounted to'travel longitudinally with the carriage, beiiig sustained at the ends on arms 25, which are pivoted on rail or track 16 and connected to the carriage in such manner that the escapement controls the step-by-step advance of the carriage, and so that the rack may be disengaged from the escapement pawls 21, 22 for retraction or independent control of .the carriage. The escapement pawls and rack are of a construction and operated in a manner well understood in the art to control the step-by-step advance of the movable carriage.

The selective stop mechanism for use in tabulating or writing in columns, comprises a bar 27 sustained by and traveling with the carriage, being mounted-in a bracket 28 rigidly secured to the carriagaframe. The carriage bar 27 is provided with notches suitably formed toreceive stops or abutment's 29, whichmay be set into either of the notches or advanced so that the carriage will be arrested at any desired point by one of the key-operated abutments or levers for the selective spacing mechanism. The bar is slidablyand nonrotatably mounted in upturned ears or lugs 28 of brackets 28 'and a cushion-spring 30 is interposed between one of said brackets and an abutment or stop 31 secured to an extended end of the bar 27. A stop or abutment 32 is secured to the other extended end of the bar 27 and determines the normal relativeposition of bar 27 with respect to the carriage, being held normally seated against the bracket 28 by spring 30. This cushion-spring possesses sufficient force to shift the carriage against the force of the carriage propelling spring and to hold the carriage in its proper and normal relative position with respect to the element controlling the carriage which is the bar 27 and it is understood in such manner that the momentum of the'carriage at the end of a long run will be to an extent overcome by the spring, which upon resuming its n rmal or expanded position will tend to re :tore the carriage into proper relation with respect to the bar 27. In practice, howe Yer, it is found that the momentum of the carriage at the end of a long run will compress the cushion-spring, but that the spring will in turn impart the energy thus stored up in it by reason of its compression less the friction to the carriage frame and will bring the carriage frame back to normal position relative to the bar 27 with such force that the contact of stop 82 with the bracket 28 will cause another rebound of the carriage which will again tend to compress the cushion-spring 30, and in this manner the vibration of thecarriage in relation to the bar 27; may continue for some time before the carriage comes to rest normally in relation to the bar 27 and to the selective stop mechanism. This vibration of the carriage is objectionable for the reasons already stated, and to overcome the same suitable means is provided to absorb the re-v coil between the carriage and the bar 27, consisting preferably of a dash-pot or cylinder and a cooperating piston, one of which is connected with the carriage and the other with the bar 27. In the present embodiment of the invention .33 is the cylinder, which may be of any suitable construction, and is Secured by bracket 34 to the carriage frame.

, 35 is the piston rod and 36 the piston, which may be of any suitable construction for cooperating wit the-bore of cylinder 33. The piston is operatively connected with the bar 27 by means of the cross head 37, which latter is secured to'the bar and to the piston rod 35 rigidly by anysuitable means, as the set screws 38, 39. The piston rod 35 is provided with the air inlet 35, by which air is admitted to the-interior of the-cylinder to avoid resistance in the -movement between the cylinder and piston in one direction, and in order that the air on the interior of the cylinder may form-the desired cushioning means the inlet 35 is closed at the piston end by the valve 36 pivoted to the piston. With the use of this device it will be seen that when the carriage is suddenly stopped at the end of a long run and the cushioning spring 30 -is compressed by reason of the momentum of the carriage the efi'ect of the spring will be taken up by the compression of the air between the cylinder and the piston and the carriage will-settle back to normal position gradually under pressure of spring 30 as the air under compression escapes between the piston and the cylinder.

The mechanism for controlling the operation' of the selective stop mechanism, as determined 'by the adjustable stop or stops 29, comprises one or more keys 40 suitably mounted or connected to the frame and extended into convenient position to be operated fromthe front of the machine, each being "connected at its rearend to a stop lever or abutment 41, which is pivotally sustained as at 42, and has its upper end guided in a suitable bracket 43, and is provided with a stop-terminal 44, adapted to be projected-into thepath -of movement of stops 29 by keys 40. Each ofthe keys 40 and levers 41 are held in and'restored to normal position by the-spring '45. When the machine is-to be equipped for column writing or tabulatingand so the selective stop mechanism may be operated to arrest the carriage at either point in a column, ase- -ries of'keys40 and levers :41 are employed, which are adapted in conjunction with one of the adjustablestops 29 to arrest the carria e at ditfierent points, one space apart to facilitate typewriting in column work.

In operating the stop mechanism the step-byPst'ep mechanism is disconnected so the carriage will be free to be advanced by its propelling spring under control of the selective stop mechanism. This disconnecting means comprises'a lever 46 pivotally sustained as at 47, and having 'abar 46 at its upper end extending into posltlon to be Operated by eitherof the levers 41, and having an arm 48 connected to a releasing lever 49, which is pivoted at-50 in a lug 51 secured to table 11, and has its front terminal 52 adapted to engage a rib 53 on the escapement rack 24 to swing said rack upwardly pressed in one direction by a spring 56, the

normal position of the dog being determined by a stop 57 adapted to engage arm 46 to limit the throw of the dog by the spring. The carriage bar 27 is also pro- -vided with a series of ratchet teeth 58 in which the free end of dog 54 is ada ted to pass when one of the selective stop eys is operated. Dog 54 and teeth 58 are so formed that the carriage bar will be positively locked against retraction thereby. Stop 29 encountering an abutment or terminal 44 arrests the carriage against further advance and dog 54 successively engaging the teeth 58 of the rack bar, positively secures or looks the carriage bar against retraction. In other words, the carriage bar is positively locked against movement in one direction by the stop 29 and abutment 44 and in the other by teeth 58 and dog 54. In this manner the position of the carriage bar which determines the point'at which the carriage will be arrested when the carriage is normally at rest with the carriage bar is positively determined. Thus it will be seen that the stop bar 27, or whatever element of the selective stop mechanism is used to determine the position of the carriage, is thus positively controlled despite any variation due to the operation of the cushion. When the selective stop mechanism is operated, bar 27 is therefore locked at the proper point predetermined by the position of ad ustable stop 29, while the carriage travels beyond its correct position against the force of the spring 30, which restores the carriage to normal position with respect to the carriage bar 27, but under the control of the air cushioning means comprising the cylinder and piston and their connections as already described. Upon the release of key 40, dog 54 is' *WlthdlflWIl from teeth 58 of bar 27, and abutment 44 is withdrawn from the path of stop 29, and lever 49 is simultaneously operated to,release escapement. rack 24 of, the step-by-step spacing mechamsm to again render the latter .operative.

In operation the step-by-step mechanism will operate as usual, viz: that is, upon depression of a key 12 or 13 the dog 19 will be oscillated to successively bring the fixed and movable dogs 21, 22 into engagement with one of the teeth of the rack bar 24 and permit the carriage to be advanced one step.

When the carriage is to be successively arrested at a predetermined point or points, an adjustable stop 29 is set in corresponding position or positions on bar 27. The operator in operating the selective stop mechanism will push key 40 backwardly to operate lever 41, which Will cause stop terminal 44 thereof to swing into the path of a stop 29 to arrest the carriage bar 27 and will simultaneously swing lever 46. inwardly to operate lever 52 to release escapement rack 24 from escapement dog 22. Lever 46 will also move dog 54 into engagement with teeth 58 of stop bar 27, the latter being yieldingly held by a spring 56to permit the teeth 58 and the carriage to be advanced by its spring until said stop 29 encounters said stop terminal 44, whereupon the stop bar 27 .will be arrested against advance by said terminal 44 and secured against retraction by dog 54; that is, it will be locked against movement in either direction. and the carriage moving on bar 27 will as a result of the impact of stop 29 against terminal 44 compress cushion 30 and will be gradually arrested as cushion 30 is compressed. At the same time piston 36 will be operated through piston rod- 35 and cross head 37 connected with the stop bar 27 a corresponding amount in its cylinder 33, and the air coming through the inlet 35 past valve 36 will fill the space between the cylinder and the piston. The compressed cushion 30 will then gradually restore the carriage to its normal position with respect to the bar 27 any recoil due to the sudden action of the spring being taken up by the air compression device. As a result the carriage is effectively cushioned and the stop mechanism which controls its position'positively determines the point of arrest of the carriage.

It has been found in practice that upon the release of a key 40 by the operator the abutment 44 is sometimes withdrawn from the path of the stop 29 and the step-by-step mechanism is rendered operative before the carriage comes to a normal position'or to a position of rest in relation to the element cooperating with the abutment 44, which in this embodiment of the invention is the bar 27. It will be apparent that when the abutment 44 is withdrawn and the step-by-step mechanism released subsequent vibration of the carriage may and does frequentlyresult in a stopping of the carriage by the 'stepby-stepecontrolling pawl out of the desired position. While the effect of the air cushioning recoil absorbing device described is an aid to preventing continued vibration of the carriage after the release of the key 40 by the operator, it is still found desirable under some conditions to provide means for automatically locking the abutment 44 into engagement with stop 29 and consequently locking the step-by-step mechanism in a viding a selective or adjustable sto disconnected position until the carriage reaches a position of rest in relation to the bar 27. To accomplish this purpose the bail is employed and is preferably a strip of metal of approximately the length of the bar 27, and is provided with the angular extensions 60 at its ends which are pivotally connected to the ends of bar 27. An arm 61 is secured to the. frame of the carriage and extends rearwardly to a point directly over the bail and; in engagement with a notch 62 on the upper edge of the bail. The bail 60 is designed to be held normally in engagement with the arm 61, so that the end of the arm is normally at the bottom of notch 62. The shape of this notch is clearly shown in Fig. 2, and it will be seen that one side of the notch is at right angles to the upper edge of the bail, while the other side is cut at an angle so that when the carriage is moved in relation to the bar 27 to compress the spring 30 the finger 61 being moved therewith will slide on the inclined side of notch 62 to the upper edge of the bail and hence depress the bail the depth of the notch. The upper ends of the levers 41 I which carry the abutments 44 are provided with notches or depressions 41 adapted to cooperate with the bail 60. The normal position of the levers 41 carries these notches 41 out of register with the bail 60, but when they are operated as indicated in Fig. 7 the notches are caused to register with the bail, so that if at any time during the actuation of one of the abutments or-levers 41 the carriage is moved relative to the bar 27 the bail 60 will be depressed as described and will lock the abutment lever in the path of the stop 29, which will also operate to hold the step-by-step mechanism disconnected. This will continue until the carriage assumes a normal nosition in relation to the bai- 27 when the notch 62 in the bail will register with the finger on the carriage and the bail 60 will then be returned to normal by means of any suitable elastic means, as the sprin 63 interposed between the bail and bar 2 This willjof course release the abutment lever 41, which under the action of spring 45 will assume normal position.

Thus it will be seen that the invention possesses the important advantage of'promechanism which determines the position in which the carriage is arrested against movement in either direction, and at the same time makes it possible to employ cushioning means for absorbing both shock and recoil due to the impact of the abutments. Also that in the use of the improved selective or adjustable stop mechanism shown and described it will be impossible for they carriage In order that the invention might or be fully understood the details of the preferred embodiment thereof have been thus specifically described, and it will be apparent that many modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, but

What I claim is:

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a movable carriage, step-b'y-step spacing mechanism, stop mechanism for determining the point at which the carriage is to be arrested, a cushion for relieving the force of the impact of the carriage when the stop mechanism is operated, and means for absorbing the recoil imparted to the carriage by the cushion, said means comprising a cylinder, a cooperating piston, and means for connecting said cylindervand piston with the carriage and a part positively connected with the stop mechanism.

:2. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a movable carriage, a step-by-step spacing mechanism, stop mechanism, an element movably connected with the carriage and adapted to be engaged by the stop mechanism, a cushion interposed between the carriage and said element for relieving the force of. the impact when the stop mechanism is operated, and means interposed be tween the carriage and said element for absorbing the recoil between the carriage and the element due to the cushion.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a movable carriage, step-by-step spacing mechanism, stop mechanism, an element movably connected with the carriage and adapted to be engaged by the stop mechanism, a cushion interposed between the carriage and said element and adapted to relieve the force of the impact of the carriage when the variable stop mechanism is operated, and means interposed between the element and the carriage and adapted to absorb the recoil of the carriage due to the action of said cushion, said means comprising a cylinder and a cooperating piston operatively connected with said movable element and the carriage.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a movable carriage, variable stop mechanism, a movable element connected with the carriage and adapted to be engaged by the stop mechanism, a cushion interposed between the'movable element and the carriage and adapted to relieve the force of the impact of the carriage when the stop mechanism is operated, and a cushioning device interposed between said movable element and the carriage and adapted to absorb the recoil between the carriage and the movable element due to the action of said cushion. v

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a movable carriage, variable stop 6. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a movable carriage, an element movably secured to the carriage, varlable stop mechanismlcomprising a stop on said element, a movable abutment, a key for operating said abutment, and means for locking said abutment in operative relation with said stop when the carriage is out of normal relation with said element andsaid stop, said means comprising a member pivotally secured to said element, an arm on said carriage adapted to engage the pivoted member, elastic means for normally holding said pivoted member in engagement with the arm, there being a notch in said pivoted member with which said arm is adapted to cooperate, and means on said abutment adapted to be engaged by said pivoted member.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a movable carriage, of stop mechanism, step-by-step spacing mechanism, means for disengaging the step by step spacing mechanism to permit the carriage to skip and engage said stop mechanism, means for cushioning the impact of the carriage against said stop mechanism, and means mounted on the carriage for cushioning its recoil, and automatic mechanism for looking out said step-by-step spacing mechanism until the carriage comes to rest at the position designated by the stop mechanism.

8. In carriage stops for typewriters, the combination with a carriage, of a rod thereon, stops on said rod, cushioning means at each end of the carriage, a plunger, means for causing the carriage to skip toward a predetermined position and strike said plimger, and a looking out mechanism associated with said plunger for assuring the final stopping of the carriage at the predetermined position.

9. In a typewriting machine comprising tabulating mechanism, the combination with the carriage, of carriage-arresting means in-. cluding a cushion, on which the carriage acts when it passes a predetermined position in a tabulating operation, said cushion being efiective to return the carriage to that position, and means to locate the carriage at the predetermined position after it is repelled by said cushion, this means including another cushion.

10. In a typewriting machine comprising tabulating mechanism, the comhlnation with the carriage, of carriage-arresting means including a cushion, on which the carriage 5 acts when it passes a predetermined position in a tabulating operation, said cushion being effective to return the carriage to that position, and means to locate the carriage at the predetermined position after it is re- 10 pelled by said cushion, this means including M. W. OANTWELL, .Fnnn. P. GomN. 

